To ensure fair Internet access for all HughesNet® subscribers, Hughes maintains a Fair Access Policy. This policy establishes an equitable balance in Internet access for all HughesNet subscribers. Hughes assigns a Download Allowance to each service plan that limits the amount of data that may be continuously downloaded within specified time periods. Subscribers who exceed this limit will experience a temporary reduction of speed.

The policy is implemented automatically by monitoring your usage over a rolling 24-hour period. Each HughesNet service plan is assigned a Download Allowance. The Download Allowance is the amount of data (in bytes) which can be downloaded by a subscriber without restriction within a rolling 24-hour period. As you download at a high rate, your allowance will be depleted. During periods of low use, your remaining allowance will slowly recover. When your usage over the past 24 hours exceeds that allowance, you will enter the Recovery Zone, and your download speeds will be reduced. During the Recovery Zone, your Download Allowance is slowly replenished, and after approximately 24 hours, your download speed will be restored. If you continue to use your service to download in the Recovery Zone, it may take more than 24 hours for your Allowance to be replenished and your speed to return to normal.

What happens if I don’t use all of my daily Download Allowance?

Great News! Due to some recent improvements in the HughesNet technology, you can now “bank” unused portions of your daily Download Allowance in the Download Bank. This banking of unused data has the effect of increasing the Download Allowance by the amount of the unused data from the prior 24-hour period. If you subscribe to the Basic plan, which has a daily Download Allowance of 250 MB, and you’ve only used 100 MB of data during the previous 24-hour period, your Download Allowance for the next 24-hour period will be 250 MB, plus the unused 150 MB from the previous 24 hours, for a total of 400 MB. The Download Bank will allow you the flexibility to download larger files when you really need to, without disrupting your service.

Does the Download Bank apply to all HughesNet Plans?

The Download Bank applies to all the HughesNet Plans listed above. In addition, it also applies to the following “legacy” HughesNet plans: Home, Pro, ProPlus, Elite, ElitePlus, ElitePremium, and BI100 and BI700.

Does unused data in the Download Bank expire?

Today, the Download Allowance is based on a rolling 24-hour period. Subject to the Download Bank caps as listed below, unused data will not expire and will carry over into the Download Bank. The Download Bank can accumulate up to a two-day supply of your service plan’s Download Allowance.

Plan

24-Hour Download Allowance

Download Bank

Basic

250 MB

250 MB x 2 = 500 MB

Power 150

350 MB

350 MB x 2 = 700 MB

Power 200

450 MB

450 MB x 2 = 900 MB

Who is affected by the Fair Access Policy?

Some users consume much more bandwidth than the average user, and they will experience reduced download speeds as a result of exceeding their Download Allowance. You may be surprised to find that the top one percent (1%) of users download 9 times more the average user. By providing a Download Allowance, more of the shared bandwidth is made available for everyone to use. Most users will have a better experience as a result of the Fair Access Policy.

Online activities such as viewing Websites, checking email, watching video clips or similar short streaming media, and automatic software updates are unlikely to cause you to exceed the Download Allowance..

Typically, on the Basic plan, to reach your download limit in a 24-hour period, you would have to download any of the following:

67 photos (at 3 MB each)

50 songs (at 4 MB each)

10 video clips (at 20 MB each)

Does the Fair Access Policy apply to uploads or downloads?

Currently, the Fair Access Policy applies only to downloads – that is, data that you receive from the Internet. Uploads, for example sending photos in your email, are not counted against your Download Allowance.

What activities may cause a subscriber to exceed their Download Allowance?

Some activities are more likely to exceed the Download Allowance and trigger the application of the Fair Access Policy. Several examples are listed below:

Full-length movie or video downloads (e.g., Netflix streaming movies)

Downloading very large files (i.e., file sizes that are close in size to the Download Allowance of your service plan)

Excessive downloading or use of the services described above may cause subscribers to exceed their Download Allowance and have their download speed reduced under the Fair Access Policy.

Note that all data downloaded to your PC or PCs will count against your Download Allowance. We encourage you to take a close look at the software you install and understand how it will use your Internet connection.

What will my Internet access be like in the Recovery Zone?

During the Recovery Zone, when your Download Allowance is exceeded, you will experience reduced download speeds for about 24 hours. During this period, your HughesNet service can still be used for activities such as Web browsing and viewing emails, but speeds will be significantly slower than your standard plan rate.

If I exceed my Download Allowance, what should I do?

Minimize your heavy bandwidth activities. If you continue to download heavily during the Recovery Zone, the period will be extended. If you frequently exceed your Download Allowance, or if you find that your Download Allowance is too small for your needs, you might consider upgrading your service plan.

How do I verify whether I have exceeded my Download Allowance?

You can track your past usage and Fair Access Policy status by going to www.myHughesNet.com, clicking on Customer Care, then clicking on the Check My Usage link in the Resources section.

What is the Download Zone?

The Download Zone is the off-peak hours of the day, when you can download data at full speed without counting against your Download Allowance. The hours of use start at 2:00 am and end at 7:00 am, local time, for customers with an HN9000 modem. Excluding customers in Alaska, the Download Zone hours for customers with an HN9200, HN7000, or HN6000 modem remain from 2:00 am – 7:00 am, Eastern time. In Alaska, the Download Zone hours are from 1:00 am – 8:00 am, Alaskan Standard time.

Why was the Download Zone implemented?

This period has been provided for HughesNet subscribers to schedule the downloading of automated updates or to download other large files.

Are there any limitations to what I can do during the Download Zone?

Yes. Download speeds are not guaranteed during these hours and the HughesNet Acceptable Use Policy is still in effect.

Does data transmitted during the Download Zone count in determining whether I will have any data left for the Download Bank?

No. Any data transmitted during the Download Zone does not count against your daily Download Allowance, so it will not affect how much data you have left for the Download Bank for the next 24-hour period.

What do you recommend I do during the Download Zone?

We recommend that you automatically schedule your system updates during the Download Zone. If you install HughesNet Tools, your Windows Updates will automatically be scheduled for this period. You can also use a download manager software application to automatically schedule large file downloads to occur during the Download Zone.

If I have exceeded my Download Allowance, will using my service during the Download Zone extend the duration of my reduced download speed?

No, downloading during the Download Zone will not extend the Recovery Zone.

What will happen if I'm in the middle of a large download at the onset of the Download Zone?

If your speed is reduced at the start of the Download Zone, your download speed will return to your normal plan rate, and the downloaded data will not increase your recovery time. If your speed was not reduced (that is, you had not exceeded your Download Allowance), your usage during the Download Zone will not be counted toward your Download Allowance.

What will happen if I'm in the middle of a download at the end of the Download Zone?

If you were over your Download Allowance at the start of the Download Zone, your download speeds will be reduced again at the end of the Zone. If you were not over your Download Allowance, then the usage during the Download Zone will not count against your allowance, but the portion of the download that occurs after the Zone ends will begin to count against your Allowance.

Can I still use the Download Zone if I have already exceeded my Download Allowance?

Yes – during the Download Zone, all users may download without any speed restrictions, subject to your plan’s rate and available capacity.

The Download Allowance status, available through the HughesNet Status Meter application or via your terminal’s System Control Center, reflects the actual number of bytes you can download before your download speeds are reduced. This status comes from your gateway in real time as you receive data. The Check Usage page displays the total historical data downloaded and uploaded from your terminal. This data comes from usage records which are updated hourly. Based on network policies and system status, some data transmitted to your terminal may not be counted against your Download Allowance, but all data will be recorded on the Check Usage site for reference. For example, any data that you downloaded during the Download Zone will be reflected on the Check Usage page but will not be counted against your Download Allowance. Your Download Allowance will always be at least the amount specified for your service plan.